completely normal.. transplant shock.. is usually interior.. older needles ...

start at the end of a branch .... noting the bark ... and when it changes.. that is last years growth ... and those are the needles you are losing ...

water properly ... it is not a fert issue ...

BTW ... all pine are nudey inside ... its normal... the transplant just sped it up this year.. and maybe next year ...

i had a couple foo foo pines.. lose all their needles for two years after transplant ... and they survived .... the future is all in the buds.. as long as those stay tan brown ... and hard .. you will win .... if they blacken.. turn mushy.. your a losing.. that will be noted in spring ...

ken

Thank you.

So, how often should I be watering them? And just for clarification, when you say "water properly," what would that look like?

depends on size of plant,,but about a gal.,once a week.
to find out what is proper,,stick your fingers down into soil,
if it feels real wet,,water less ,,dry,,water more
How fast does your soil drain ?
ron

a couple days in a bucket of water is a lot
in future, hold plants in ground or pots

This post was edited by plantkiller.il.5 on Tue, Oct 28, 14 at 20:56

The soil is mostly clay, unfortunately. Doesn't drain very well, but they are also planted on a slope.

water when water is needed...

insert finger about 2 inches.. and dont water again until its near drying ...

surface dryness is not important... mulch solves that issue ...

in winter.. plants do NOT need a lot of water ...

see link ... especially in regard to clay soils ... and also watering .. if you varied wildly from the suggestions there.. lets discuss.... now would be the time for a redo ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks. That sounds pretty much like what we did, except I've been checking the soil just below the mulch for moisture, rather than 2 inches down. I thought that maybe since they were looking great in the bucket of water that they would need a lot of water initially. We are getting a good bit of rain today, so I'll check them again in a few days.

you check.. where the roots are.. and i hope they are at least 2 inches deep ... but if its moist at 2.. and you watered them in well at planting... it wont be drier.. further down ...

jsut dont forget.. or discount.. its LATE FALL ... there simply isnt enough heat.. to dry the soil beyond the surface.. in most area of the country ... AND THAT IS WHY FALL IS A GREAT PLANTING TIME ... two cool seasons.. now and spring.. before the onslaught of next summers heat ...

how long were they left in the bucket ... ??? if more than a few hours.. thats another stressor .... attached to the transplant ...

when i have to hold them bare root ... i might put half an inch of water in a pail ... put the bare roots in.. and wad some news print into it all... the paper takes up the water.. the roots stay moist under the paper .. but the roots not submerged ...

most plants are not aquatics ... but most can deal with it.. but trees just dont like nor need that much water ...

all the info for future reference.. not to worry you more ...most pines are rather bullet proof... unless you pay for some 100 $ foo foo one.. and then it will die in the mail .. lol ...

ken